Formerly assistant superintendent of instruction, Flak's title is now deputy superintendent. The change was announced during a Washington County Board of Education business meeting last week.

Flak said she was excited and delighted by the change, which gives her a title that more clearly defines her duties and places her on a pay scale with other administrators.

Her salary is now $97,262, according to Human Resources Director Phil Ray.

Ray said Flak has been working without a contract since she was hired July 1, 1997. She now has a 12-month contract and her job performance will be evaluated annually.

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Flak's job still involves supervising the instruction division and assisting Schools Superintendent Herman G. Bartlett Jr. The contract makes clear that she will serve as chief administrative officer in his absence.

The contract also establishes her job qualifications. The minimum requirement is eligibility for a Maryland State Department of Education certificate to serve as superintendent. Flak is qualified to be a superintendent in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

She has said heading a school system is her ambition but she wants to remain through Bartlett's tenure.

The other qualifications for deputy superintendent include five years of classroom experience, five years of administrative or supervisory experience, knowledge of educational programs, research and trends, and excellent human relations, oral and written communication skills.

The job description also includes a list of responsibilities, such as providing leadership, developing programs for instructional improvement and evaluating instructional materials and recommending teachers for tenure.

Ray said the position is not new but Flak's job has been augmented. He said the change adds stability and continuity to the school system, in part because it clearly defines a chain of command.

When Flak was hired, the School Board established her salary at $73,815. She has not received pay increases on the same schedule as other administrators.

Her position is now a category 10 on the administrators and supervisors scale, which the board created in June.

There are 10 steps on the scale and the top pay is $103,185 a year, according to Ray.

The 8 percent pay increase compensates Flak for raises given to other administrators that she did not receive, according to Ray. It combines a 3 percent step increase, a 1 percent "cohort" adjustment and a 4 percent raise given to other administrators in June.

Flak was born in Erie, Pa., and attended public schools there. She received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Mercyhurst College in Erie. She later obtained degrees in administration and supervision from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Before coming to Washington County, she was principal of Cromwell Valley Elementary School in Baltimore County, Md. She also was principal of Edgemere Elementary School in Baltimore County and supervisor of elementary education there.